The Belt
by wolfsdragoon
Summary: PG for one moderatly bad word. Done before Hiigara War. Adds some spiff ships.


The light came out of nowhere. Like a forgotten sun reborn. But this romantic figure was silenced once again by something much lager and darker than the light. The sun was nearly forty thousand Kilometers away but when it shone through the asteroid belt it looked as powerful as an Ion cannon blast and twice as pretty.  
Theron noticed that the light coming in his scout's window was coming and going but he paid it little attention. He and the rest of his team were on normal patrol from the support frigate in the Tassadarion belt. The squadron of strike craft, headed by James in an assault Corvette. There were three scouts, Four interceptors and the two lagging defenders and the defense fighter. Then there were the two heavy corvettes the light corvette and the assault corvette.  
Theron remembered that the assault corvette was a new addition to the fleet and no wonder James was in command, and the specially modified Ion cannon could wipe out any one of the strike craft in his squadron. Better to not let that thing near a heavy-salvage combo.  
"An here we are again folks. I always thought that we could make it far enough to patrol an asteroid field. HA who here hopes we find pirates or some scurvy rag-tag group?" Cocky one eyed Jake, the defense fighter pilot, loved to start any run with calling bogies 'scurvy'.  
"Yeah what ever dude. I just think we should get back to our support frig. Before supper runs out in the mess hall!"  
"Shuddup Wage. This mission is not fun and we all kn...."  
"I GOT SOMETHING!" Theron glanced to his scanners. He saw that the light corvette, which was the farthest ship ahead, had detected something. "It bears the markings of...ckkkkkk"  
"Huh markings of what?"  
"GRAV WELL!"  
"Where's that darned support frigate!"  
"Why am I still moving?"  
"Scouts move up close check it out," Theron noted the calm in James' voice as he gave the orders. Then he saw it. It was huge.  
"Ah sir I got visual. It's too big to be a gravity well but it looks like...A CRUISIER!"  
"Okay everyone. Attack pattern claw. GO! NOW!"  
"Roger." Theron spun his ship around moving into a slot right next to the extra ship in his group. The salvage corvette had come up behind them. They got spooked by the ship's sudden appearance but the fleet of 'sal-vettes' had made its way to them slowly. James soon explained their being here.  
"ON. Your toes people we need that ship...quote fleet command... so we provide confusion they provide salvage. We are using evasive tactics already, so keep it lose and no power shifts. Theron your with me and the other scouts. I am drawing their fire so keep it cool and none are to run with me," James switched to a one n one channel and spoke directly to Theron, "No heroics this time my friend. Don't try to keep me alive but do keep any fighters off my tail. Just stay in front of me and let me do the taunting."  
"LETS MOVE OUT!" came in from the a heavy corvette.  
"Rationalize."  
"Be careful of my debris I think I just dropped my lunch"  
"Affirmative"  
"Watch out, looks like he's our welcome wagon," Theron piped in clearing the channel.  
"Ack. Here comes the welcome wagon," Jake sang out starting confusion as the cruiser came from behind the particularly large asteroid in front of the strike team.   
"Combat stations."  
"Watch the angle of attack this guy may show his teeth," Wage called.  
"Why are the sal-vettes coming up?" Wake questioned.  
"Hey guys get back there we haven't engaged." Sure enough the sal-vettes had come up too early. "Gee, watch your one!" Theron's warning came too late. The cruiser had opened up on the poor unsuspecting light corvette. "NO!" Before he finished, his screens flashed with blue light and the tiny corvette vanished into debris.  
"BASTARD!"  
"Okay that's it quit the chit chat and engage!" James called out.  
"hey Mikey, I think he likes me." Jake called as his emitter dome flashed with a red ionized beam destroying the blast of cannon fodder coming his way. "WHOO! I like a man(woman) who plays rough!"  
"Nope it's me." Theron dodged past the Ion beam coming from the forward turret. It could have wiped him off the face of the map. Or the star chart for that matter. Then he saw on his screens what it had shot at. Not him, not James, not any of his team but, "WATCH THOSE SAL-VETTES!" The ion beam had just crippled one of the ten approaching.  
Seeing the distress, James whipped his assault corvette around a fired the forward-beam ion-cannon. Barely melting armor on the behemoth, it did grab all the attention he wanted. As he shot passed the lower cannon, it ignited into a massive ion explosion. James pulled hard on his control pad making a nearly killing gravity climb. Then he twisted and saw his fate.  
There was a squad of bombers on the far side of his sight range approaching fast. Okay James quick thinking. Spinning his small corvette around he headed back to the action. Narrowly missing a cannon shot from the heavy cruiser. James checked behind him sure enough was the bombers...but only four of them. James looked down and the rest were below.  
Glancing up just in time to see the fighters shooting out form below the cruiser, Zack brought his heavy corvette around to face the inbounds. Bright flashes lit up his console as the bombers fired plasma into his corvette. Firing his twin cannons rapidly to avoid the fighters he pulled his craft vertical.  
"I HAVE INBOUNDS! Four no wait eight bombers!"  
"James if we don't pull back we come home in particles!"  
"Alright Alpha and Jay move vertical and when your 20km get your butts to the support fleet. The rest follow me."  
"RIGHT" came over the com. in unison. James watch the bombers take the bait as two scouts pulled up and away. He then spun his craft around and headed for the opposite side of the heavy cruiser. James knew that the fighters left behind a support frigate somewhere. Heading toward the largest asteroid James got his answer. There was a carrier embedded in the rock.  
"ALL UNITS OPEN FIRE!" His fleet fired hard into the rock as the heavy cruiser came around. "SPLIT UP!" Breaking off into pairs James watched his fleet slowly weld away the rock opponent. He held his position along with his heavy corvette escort. "On my count you and me split 'y' okay?"  
"Right boss." James waited and watched the heavy cruiser turn toward them. Its lining up its guns so it can be sure and destroy us.  
"One....................two....................THREE!!!" James pulled hard on his control stick as the Cruiser fired every thing it had at them. The trick worked. The cruiser perfectly annihilated the other ship that was embedded in the rock. "Alright nice work boys (girls) lets go home..." James's ragtag squadron pulled up and away as the heavy cruiser began to be captured by the freshly arriving salvage fleet. The Light Frigates made perfect cover along with the two ion cannon frigates.  
  



End file.
